1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for storing medical information connected to a medical diagnostic imaging apparatus, medical diagnostic imaging workstations, medical diagnostic imaging report preparation support systems, etc. via a network.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, the area of expertise of medical practice has been segmentalized. For example, diagnostic imaging is divided into the acquisition of diagnostic images of a patient, interpretation of radiogram acquired and report preparation, explanation of diagnostic results and therapeutic strategy based on the report results, and other operations. Each operation is taken charge by each specialist (doctor in attendance or engineer in charge), and by all these operations, medical practices such as diagnosis, etc. for a patient are achieved. Each specialist implements each operation by referring to past diagnostic information properly based on information created by other specialists in the operations of the preceding stages. These operations, for example, are conducted by a medical diagnostic imaging apparatus such as an X-ray Computed-Tomographic scanner (X-ray CT scanner) or Magnetic Resonance Imaging apparatus (MRI apparatus) that acquires diagnostic images, a PACS server that stores the diagnostic images in memory, and an image reference apparatus for interpreting the diagnostic images.
FIG. 6 shows one example of flow of a medical practice (request from a patient to image study) in diagnostic imaging. First of all, a requested physician (attending physician) creates a study order on the basis of questions for a patient, etc. and tells a laboratory technician to conduct a study (Step Sa). The order referred to here is a study request which is sent to a variety of medical diagnostic imaging apparatuses using an order system via a network, etc. and which must be done next.
Next, the laboratory technician conducts the study using a predetermined medical diagnostic imaging apparatus and obtains images concerning an area to be treated (Step Sb). This study is conducted by selecting a desired study from the list of study requests (based on the study order) displayed on a monitor of, for example, the medical diagnostic imaging apparatus. Consequently, the study is, in principle, conducted in accordance with the study order. There are, however, cases in which these pieces of information only are not sufficient for determining study methods, photographed range and direction, and imaging conditions. In such cases, the laboratory technician refers to previous study images, previous reports, and key images (images on which the diagnosis is based) related with the previous reports, and conducts the study with consideration given to the imaging range and direction and imaging conditions so as to obtain the same images. The obtained image data is outputted as digital data from the medical diagnostic imaging apparatus and stored, for example, in a PACS server. Note that, in the medical diagnostic imaging apparatus and PACS server, in general, the image is controlled by dividing into a hierarchy of study, series (indices to identify one scan processing), and image. Consequently, in the case where a plurality of pieces of scans are conducted in one study, a plurality of series information that correspond to the study are stored in linkage with one another. In each series, a plurality of images that correspond to the series (that is, the scan processing) are stored in linkage with one another.
Then, an image interpreting physician of Department of Radiology creates an image interpretation report that corresponds to the study order (step Sc). In such event, it becomes important to diagnose by comparing images on which the previous diagnostic imaging is based, that is, key images linked to the previous report, with the present study image. Consequently, the image interpreting physician of Department of Radiology refers to the order and confirms the content of the request, refers to the reports and images of the previous study to confirm the points to be interpreted, and interprets the images of the present study (diagnostic imaging).
Next, the requesting physician refers to the prepared report and judges the diagnostic imaging results (step Sd). That is, the requesting physician interprets the content of the report while referring simultaneously to the key image (diagnosis supporting image) linked to the report, and undertakes diagnostic evaluation integrally with other information not illustrated and conducts treatment.
However, in the conventional medical diagnostic imaging system, there exist the following problems.
In performing comparative diagnosis with past studies, there is a desire to bring the present study content close to the past study content. In the conventional system, the laboratory technician refers to images or film images of past studies stored in a file server and formulates a study plan, or uses information incidental to images of past studies to formulate a study plan. However, the past study images or film images are basically used for image interpretation, and are not intended to be used for reference of the inspection (imaging). Consequently, there are problems that there is an item for which the information necessary for the present study is unable to be thoroughly obtained and which must be established by getting the idea from past images, etc. or imaging conditions which are unable to be set in the same manner as in the previous study emerge. In particular, in cross-sectional images such as MRI images or X-ray CT images, it is difficult for the laboratory technician to grasp information on the imaging position, reconstruction range, etc.
In addition, in general, the patient position and posture on a top panel of a bed frequently differ from those of the previous study because of the conditions at the setting (both of patients and apparatus operators), and there are cases in which the accuracy sufficient for comparative diagnosis cannot be secured only by utilizing the imaging plan (scan range, reconstruction position, etc.) of the previous study.